Background
Business Growth Fund (BGF) is one of the UK's leading investment firms, providing long-term growth capital to ambitious small and medium-sized businesses across the country. Operating a national office network, BGF supports hundreds of growing organisations while maintaining a strong reputation for professionalism, operational standards and responsible investment.
To support its continued expansion, BGF required a strategic Head of Facilities capable of leading the Facilities Management function across its UK estate while ensuring every workplace reflected the organisation's standards, values and culture.
The Challenge
BGF approached Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Head of Facilities to take responsibility for the strategic leadership and operational management of its national property portfolio.
The successful candidate would oversee Facilities Management across eight offices, with responsibility for maintaining safe, compliant, efficient and high-quality working environments that supported both employees and business performance. With future expansion anticipated, the organisation needed an individual capable of building scalable FM processes and supporting long-term growth.
This was a broad leadership role requiring expertise across:
- Strategic Facilities Management.
- Hard and Soft FM service delivery.
- Health, Safety and Environmental compliance.
- Supplier procurement and contract management.
- Budget ownership and financial planning.
- Multi-site operational leadership.
- Stakeholder engagement at executive level.
- Workplace standards, sustainability and continuous improvement.
Given the strategic nature of the appointment, BGF required someone who could quickly become a trusted business partner, providing both day-to-day operational control and long-term strategic direction. Multi-site corporate estates raise a particular difficulty here: the Head of Facilities is rarely on site, so the role depends on setting standards, choosing suppliers and building processes that hold up without constant supervision. Candidates who have only run a single headquarters building often find that shift harder than expected.
Our Approach
Maxwell Stephens conducted a targeted executive search, identifying senior Facilities Management professionals with experience leading complex, multi-site corporate estates. The process included:
- Client consultation. Working closely with BGF's leadership team to understand the organisation's culture, strategic objectives and long-term vision for the Facilities function.
- Targeted executive search. Using our Facilities Management network to identify candidates with proven experience in corporate real estate, supplier management, financial oversight and strategic operational leadership.
- Structured assessment. Evaluating candidates on technical expertise, leadership capability, commercial awareness, stakeholder management and their ability to drive organisational improvement.
The Outcome
Maxwell Stephens recruited a Head of Facilities who brought extensive experience in corporate Facilities Management, operational leadership, health & safety and financial management. The appointment quickly made an impact across the organisation by:
- Providing strategic leadership. Taking responsibility for Facilities Management across BGF's national office portfolio while ensuring every workplace operated to a consistent standard.
- Improving service delivery. Implementing hard and soft FM strategies that improved service delivery, strengthened contractor performance and brought greater operational consistency across all sites.
- Leading health & safety. Establishing a proactive approach to health, safety and environmental management, ensuring full statutory compliance while promoting a positive safety culture throughout the business.
- Strengthening financial performance. Working closely with the finance team to manage Facilities budgets effectively, delivering value for money while maintaining service standards.
- Supporting future growth. Developing scalable Facilities Management processes capable of supporting BGF's continued expansion and evolving workplace requirements.
Why This Placement Worked
This appointment reinforced Maxwell Stephens' record of placing senior Facilities Management leaders who combine strategic direction with operational grip. By understanding both the technical demands of the role and the wider commercial objectives of the business, we identified a leader who continues to support Business Growth Fund's operational performance, workplace standards and long-term organisational success.
If you are appointing a Head of Facilities for a multi-site or expanding estate, Maxwell Stephens can help you define the brief and reach candidates who have led comparable portfolios. Get in touch with our team.